Project Narrative
I. Quality of Project Design
The Paterson Public School (PPS) District is fully committed to continuing the development of our Full Service Community Schools (FSCS) Initiative in Paterson, New Jersey.
Superintendent Eileen Shafer has prioritized the development and expansion of community schools under Paterson Strategic Plan, Brighter Futures; and is strongly supported by Paterson’s community members, families, and schools. PPS has successfully implemented the FSCS model in five schools and previously was awarded the Full Service Community Schools Program Grant in 2010 and 2015. Paterson, along with strong community partnerships, has sustained our first three schools funded by the 2010 grant, and they continue to flourish today providing academic intervention and enrichment through extended learning opportunities, education programs and workshops for parents, and operate a school-based health clinic with an emphasis on mental and behavioral health. Paterson opened two additional FSCS through the 2015 grant and they have served 1,318 unduplicated residents, inclusive of 634 students, this year alone. Paterson has partnered with Children’s Aid Society, a nationally recognized leader in community schools, in both the 2010 and 2015 grants to receive technical assistance and guidance with implementing the FSCS model. Through our experience and partnerships, Paterson is ready to coordinate, support, and sustain additional community schools through this grant funding opportunity. a. Absolute Priority
Paterson’s absolute priority with the 2018 Full Service Community Schools Grant
Program opportunity is to serve two school buildings containing a combined five schools with strategies and support to develop pipeline services for students, families, and community members. Through our needs assessment, Paterson has identified Public School 2 as one site and
PR/Award # U215J180082 1 Page e20 John F. Kennedy Educational Complex High School as the second site. School 2 will be
Paterson’s sixth FSCS elementary and JFK will be our first FSCS high school. JFK houses four high school career-themed academies: School of Architecture and Construction Trades; School of Business, Technology, Marketing and Finance; School of Education Training; and School of
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The proposed new community schools are home to over 2,600 students and are located within Paterson’s historic downtown, less than one mile apart. School 2 and JFK are both classified as school-wide and are eligible for Title I funding.
School 2 and JFK have developed a plan to provide essential pipeline services through the Cradle to Career approach by proposing to establish access to program for our youngest community members and their families, strengthening the relationship between the local Pre-
Kindergarten Center with transitional programs, opening two FSCS sites that will service students in grades K-12, and partnering with a local university to provide support through postsecondary and career. Paterson has identified strong community partnerships that are located within blocks for the school buildings and with agencies that have a history of providing supportive pipeline services to Paterson’s community members. JFK has selected to partner with
New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC). NJCDC brings many resources to the partnerships such as a recently renewed 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant with a focus on college and career readiness; a newly opened Teen Center located steps away from
JFK with a computer lab, music studio, common space, and outdoor recreation space for students during the later evening hours and on weekends; and a strong history of successful implementation of the FSCS initiative as our partner for Paterson’s first community school,
School 5. School 2 has selected Oasis – A Haven for Women and Children as their lead
PR/Award # U215J180082 2 Page e21 community partner. Oasis, a community organization focused on providing services and education, is blocks away from School 2 and currently provides extended learning opportunities at the Oasis building for approximately 80 School 2 students after school, parent education and student enrichment programming on Saturdays, access to social services, and three hot meals a day to families and community members. b. Competitive Preference Priorities
Competitive Preference Priority 3 – History of Effectiveness
The Paterson Public School District (PPS) Federal Full Service Community Schools
(FSCS) initiative comprises of five public schools, each of which is partnered with a lead community-based organization to plan, implement and sustain services to support the well- being and development of children, their families and the wider community. The first
FSCS established under this initiative was School 5 in 2011, followed by Rev. Dr. Frank
Napier School and New Roberto Clemente School in 2012, and Schools 6 and 15 in 2014.
PPS FSCS have developed and implemented a community school model that encompasses a broad array of services and interventions for students and families including academic and social-emotional support, family and community engagement, health and mental health services, and partnership development to leverage resources. The program continues to focus on integrating health services in the school, aligning afterschool programs and daytime provisions, and developing interventions specifically targeting students falling behind academically and facing challenges with attendance and behavior.
Aligning Afterschool Programming with Regular School Day
Afterschool programs continue to be a key element of the Paterson Public School
Full Service Community School Model and encompass services intended to support
PR/Award # U215J180082 3 Page e22 student academic performance and broader youth development outcomes. These include, for example, homework help, one-to-one tutoring and small group mentoring, youth ESL and literacy clubs, anti-bullying/violence prevention programs, STEM, and various
‘enrichment’ activities such as cooking, chess, yoga, basketball, and dance.
PPS FSCS afterschool programs provide support for academically at-risk students. For example, School 5 prioritizes entry into the afterschool program to students on the Intervention and Referral Services list. These students are academically at-risk and referred by teachers to receive additional support. At Napier, two AmeriCorps members met with academically at-risk students twice a week and assisted them with their homework, while NRC, School 6 and School
15 provide homework help to all afterschool participants.
Paterson FSCS schools made progress in aligning afterschool programming with regular school day activities and curriculum. Each school, with the exception of School 6, has a lead teacher synchronizing afterschool with school day by communicating with teachers regarding homework, grades and student progress. In School 6, AmeriCorps members assist 2nd – 6th grade teachers in the classroom during the school day.
As a result of these efforts, afterschool program participants had a higher mean scale score on state assessments than non-afterschool students:
o School 6 in ELA +.9 and Math +1.2 in 2016 and ELA +6 in 2017.
o School 15 in ELA +9.5 and Math +.3 in 2016 and ELA +10.7 and Math +17.7 in 2017.
o NRC in ELA +8.5 and Math +20.79 in 2014.
Family and Community Engagement
The Paterson community schools took a two-step approach to engage parents/families in their children’s education, and in the schools. First, they addressed the basic needs of
PR/Award # U215J180082 4 Page e23 health, food and housing. The schools maintained in-house health clinics so that students and families could visit a doctor without missing school days. The schools also held drives, events and fairs to provide medical services, clothing, and food to the community free of charge. Second, they worked to assimilate parents/families-- especially immigrant families-- into the community by assisted families in applying for health insurance, SNAP and housing.
The schools helped families with obtaining State IDs, opening bank accounts, and applying for legal status. They provided workshops and classes in adult literacy, financial literacy,
GED and ESL.
Health and Well Being
The installation of FSCS Community Health Centers in the schools began in 2012 at School 5, New Roberto Clemente in 2013, Napier in 2014, and School 6 and School 15 in 2015. Health N' Wellness Services, LLC is the Health Center Provider for all the
Community Schools in Paterson. Services include primary medicine, vision (including optical examination and glasses), dentistry, audiology, behavioral health and nutrition education. Treatment coordinators in each center connect children and families across all service areas.
School based health clinic (SBHC) participants saw their mean raw test scores increase:
o School 5 in ELA +9 and in Math +17 points on NJASK 2014.
o Napier students ELA +5.73 points Math +8.50 points on NJASK 2014.
o NRC students ELA + 7.64 points and Math +4.12 points NJASK 2014.
o Schools 6 and 15 SBHC participants scored similarly to non-participants in PARCC in
ELA and Math in 2016 & 2017.
PR/Award # U215J180082 5 Page e24 o School 5, academically at-risk students were targeted to received one-on-one tutoring, in- group support and mentoring from AmeriCorps members. Students who received two consecutive years of support at School 5 saw their mean raw scores increase by 13 points on
ELA and a 29 points on Math between 2012 and 2014.
Figure 1: NJASK Mean Scores –Target I&RS Participants School 5
Figure 2: NJASK Mean Scores School Based Health Clinic Participants, School 5
PR/Award # U215J180082 6 Page e25 Partnership Development
Partnership development to leverage resources is the crux of the community school model. Each community school in Paterson has been successful in building substantive partnerships with a range of organizations to provide services and opportunities to students.
Past and current partners include: AmeriCorps, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Montclair State
University, Rutgers University, William Paterson University, Paterson Community Schools
Corps (PCSC), Paterson Public Library, Bergen Performing Arts Center, NJ PAC, Dance
Theater of Harlem, Bangladeshi American Youth Association (BAYA), Department of
Family and Community Engagement, TD Bank, City Green Inc., Municipal Alliance
Prevention Program, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, City of Paterson Department of
Health., Passaic County Department of Health, Habitat for Humanity, Paterson Adult and
Continuing Education (P.A.C.E.), National Center for Safe Routes to School, St. Joseph
Hospital, Kinder Smiles, Paterson Police Department, Grace Chapel Baptist Church, St.
Paul’s Community Development Corporation, Victor Cruz Foundation, Girl Scouts, City
Green, WNBA, Madison Baptist Church, Hawthorne Gospel Church, New Jersey Ballet
Company, United Way of Passaic County, and UNIQLO. Some of these partners (for example, AmeriCorps) were particularly important for the delivery and sustainability of key services in the community schools.
Attendance/Chronic Absenteeism and Behavior Results
Attendance is a key precondition for student performance and the schools have been particularly concerned to address the needs of students who are chronically absent.
Analysis on attendance was conducted using chronic absenteeism rates to show the overall results for each of the five PPS FSCS from 2012 to 2015. Analyzing the impact of
PR/Award # U215J180082 7 Page e26 specific intervention such as afterschool and health services on attendance, an average day’s present in the school was used as a measure.
Chronic Absenteeism rates decreased at School 6 by 16 percent, 10 percent at
Napier and 6 percent at School 15, while School 5 and NRC stayed the same from 2014
to 2015.
Figure 3: Percentage of students who are chronically absent from 2012 to 2015
Attendance (average days present in school) of afterschool students was better than for non- afterschool students. Students attending the afterschool programs in School 5,
Napier and NRC had a significantly higher attendance (average days present in the school) than non-afterschool students in 2013 and 2014. Similarly, afterschool students at School 6 and Napier had higher attendance than non-afterschool students in 2015. Attendance is a direct precursor and necessary for academic success.
PR/Award # U215J180082 8 Page e27 Figure 4a: Attendance Results – FSCS Afterschool Participants from 2013-2015
Figure 4b: Attendance Results (average days present) of PPS – FSCS Afterschool Participants
in 2016 and 2017
The presence of school based health clinics had a similar effect on attendance.
Students who received SBHC services at School 5 had a significantly higher attendance
(average days present in school) in 2013 and 2014 than students who did not receive
SBHC services. Equally, students that received SBHC services at NRC had a significantly higher attendance in 2013, while Napier students receiving SBHC services had significantly higher attendance than non- SBHC participants in 2014.
PR/Award # U215J180082 9 Page e28 Figure 5a: Attendance Results of PPS – FSCS School Based Health Clinic
Participants from 2013-2015 Academic Years
Table 5b: Percentage of students suspended in 2016 and 2017.
Suspension Rate % 2016 2017* School 6 20% 3% School 15 4% 0.2%
Positive behavior is another important precondition to student participation and attainment. Schools have implemented the Positive Behavior Support in Schools (PBSIS) to address behavior challenges.
Through PBSIS, staff at each school “received extensive training and technical assistance to help prepare staff to positively and proactively address the individualized behavior support needs of all students.” One key measure of behavior is the rate of suspensions within each school.
Suspension rates decreased by 17 percent at Napier and by one percent at School
PR/Award # U215J180082 10 Page e29 15. At School 6, School 5 and NRC, suspensions increased from 2014 to 2015.
Figure 6: Percentage of students suspended in 2012 to 2015.
Youth Development
The Theory of Change for Paterson Public Schools FSCS identifies a range of preconditions around social, emotional and health development thought to be necessary for student achievement. Afterschool programs are designed to provide students with a variety of academic and enrichment activities that encompass each of these aspects of young people’s development.
Students participate in enrichment opportunities that meet their needs. According to student surveys of the FSCS programs student participation increased over time in ‘homework help or tutoring’, ‘read for fun,’ ‘math and science activities for fun’ ‘choir/music, drama/ theater, or dance/step’ and ‘Sports, games or other activities where students get exercise’ from 2013 to 2015. Students also reported learning skills relating to social and emotional development - More than 70 percent of students stated that they were learning ‘how to get along with others,’ ‘expressing themselves,’ and ‘speaking in front of others.’
PR/Award # U215J180082 11 Page e30 A majority of survey respondents in 2013 through 2015 agreed with the statement that they are ‘learning skills that will help me do better in school’ and ‘believe I can succeed in school’.
The four years of evaluation and experience in Paterson’s community schools have taught us some lessons about what works and what makes a community school model sustainable. We use these key lessons as recommendations for PPS moving forward:
1. Partnerships that are coordinated and present in the school, with clear MOUs, are
invaluable. The most important partnerships are those with organizations that can effect
change in the schools’ most pressing problems. So, each school is different and the best
partner in one school may be a good, but not vital partner in another. For example, in
Paterson schools, the health partners and the focus on chronic absenteeism brought about
the most change. Yet, partnerships for ESL, afterschool learning, enrichment and directly
improving school and community engagement were valuable. But focusing partnerships on
needs (which are represented in the Theory of Change is vital).
2. Good leadership – this is obviously important in any research done on educational success.
In the case of community schools we mean, specifically, that the levels of leadership work
well together. Community school directors need support from the district. The district and
the directors need support from the community partners. And in turn, the partners need
clear understandings of what is expected of them, and the logistics and coordination to do
what they do best. Parents and teachers (and yes, students) need to make their needs
known and provide feedback on the services in the community school.
3. Data availability – the district, the community partners and the schools need to track
attendance data in programs, provide test scores and share with each other and with
PR/Award # U215J180082 12 Page e31 evaluators in order to know where they are making a difference and where more work is
needed. Confidentiality of health information means providing information to the health
provider by student ID and getting back information that may be made anonymous but
shows how many students got eyeglasses, or health care, or mental health care in a way
that can be matched to achievement.
4. Expect chaos and catastrophe: in the past few years in these few schools alone, we have
seen a school building suddenly shut down due to a hurricane and students dispersed;
schools changing the grades they serve; turnover in principles and more. In each case,
being a community school helped significantly in retaining a sense of identify and in
students feeling that there was continuity and care for them.
5. Use a Theory of Change that is revised yearly and with each new school. Paterson has
shown real leadership in developing a maintaining an articulation of their model and
updating it. It has allowed them to create workplans, focus partnerships and evaluator
properly.
Based on the academic and social-emotional support, family and community engagement,
health and mental health services, and partnership development needs of PPS demonstrated
through the FSCS initiative, we a submitting our application with Competitive Preference
Priority 3 – History of Effectiveness.
Competitive Preference Priority 4 – Evidence-Based Activities, Strategies, or Interventions
Paterson Public Schools (PPS) plans to implement a cradle to career approach connecting our Full Service Community Schools (FSCS) with a broad array of services and interventions for students and families focusing on integrating health services within the school, aligning afterschool programs and daytime provisions, and developing interventions specifically targeting
PR/Award # U215J180082 13 Page e32 students falling behind academically and facing challenges with attendance and behavior from
Pre K - 12.
The cradle to career approach works to connect early-childhood education, postsecondary schooling, and the world of work and focuses on the importance of education throughout a person’s lifetime. According to From Cradle to Career: Connecting American Education From
Birth Through Adulthood (https://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2007/17shr.us.h26.pdf) The
Chance-For-Success Index evaluates states based upon thirteen indicators that lead to success: family income, parent education, linguistic integration, preschool enrollment, kindergarten enrollment, elementary reading, middle school mathematics, high school graduation, postsecondary participation, adult educational attainment, annual income, and steady employment. At PPS we face numerous challenges in these areas including family financial difficulties, undereducated parents, language barriers, low attendance rates/chronic absenteeism especially in preschool and Kindergarten, low academic performance in Language Arts and
Mathematics, lower than average high school graduation rates, lower participation in postsecondary education, low wages, and high unemployment rates. It is our goal to offset these challenges by offering FSCS programs to meet the needs of our students and their families throughout their entire education process.
Ensure Quality Education from Day 1 – Preschool/Kindergarten Preparation
Social Skills Training - Social skills training is not a specific curriculum, but rather a collection of practices that utilize a behavioral approach to teaching preschool children age- appropriate social skills and competencies, including communication, problem solving, decision making, self-management, and peer relations. Social skills training can occur in both regular and special education classrooms. According to the What Work Clearinghouse, (Ferentino, S. C.,
PR/Award # U215J180082 14 Page e33 1991; Guglielmo, H. M., & Tryon, G. S., 2001; LeBlanc, L. A., & Matson, J. L., 1995), Social skills training was found to have positive effects on social-emotional development and behavior for children with disabilities in early education settings. PPS uses Social Skills training for students utilizing Second Step Social Emotional Learning kits, and other similar resources.
Make Schools A One-Stop-Shop – Medical & Behavioral Health, Family Supports, Absenteeism
& Behavior
Supports to Prevent Dropout and Improve Chronic Absenteeism & Behavior – The WWC
Educators Practice Guide, “Preventing Dropout in Secondary Schools”
(https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/practiceguide/wwc_dp_summary_101717.pdf), identifies four evidence-based recommendations for reducing dropout rates in middle and high schools and improving high school graduation rates including:
1. Monitor the progress of all students, and proactively intervene when students show
early signs of attendance, behavior, or academic problems.
2. Provide intensive, individualized support to students who have fallen off track and face
significant challenges to success.
3. Engage students by offering curricula and programs that connect schoolwork with
college and career success and that improve students’ capacity to manage challenges in
and out of school.
4. For schools with many at-risk students, create small, personalized communities to
facilitate monitoring and support.
Studies in the What Works Clearinghouse showed that practices in all four recommendations improved outcomes in the staying in school and graduating school domains.
The studies consistently found that the recommended practices had positive effects on students’
PR/Award # U215J180082 15 Page e34 graduation. Most studies examining outcomes in the staying in school domain found positive effects, although some studies supporting each recommendation found indeterminate effects on staying in school. All recommendations include a study with indeterminate effects on progressing in school, though Recommendations 1, 2, and 3 also include a study with positive effects on progressing in school. PPS works to monitor student for early interventions and provide mentorship and individualized support to students that struggle to succeed. Efforts are made to build relationships and engage students in reverent coursework to increase attendance, reduce behavior problems, and lead to academic success.
Mental Health Support: School-Based Health Clinics - According to The Institute of
Education Sciences (IES) WWC Practice Guide, ‘Reducing Behavior Problems in the
Elementary School Classroom, (https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/ behavior_pg_092308.pdf 2008),’ the recommended practices are as follows:
1. Identify the specifics of the problem behavior and the conditions that prompt and
reinforce it.
2. Modify the classroom learning environment to decrease problem behavior.
3. Teach and reinforce new skills to increase appropriate behavior and preserve a positive
classroom climate.
4. Draw on relationships with professional colleagues and students’ families for
continued guidance and support.
5. Assess whether schoolwide behavior problems warrant adopting schoolwide strategies
or programs and, if so, implement ones shown to reduce negative and foster positive
interactions.
PR/Award # U215J180082 16 Page e35 According to the WWC the level of evidence that supports these recommendations were strong to moderate. PPS employed multiple strategies to build relationships and adopt strategies to improve school and classroom climate & culture including using the Positive Behavior
Supports in Schools (PBSIS) system for identifying behavior problems and their causes and using strategies to remedy problem behaviors. Strategies include redirection, teaching new skills, rewarding positive behavior, and mentorships.
Support Academic Growth – Afterschool Programs & Summer Enrichment
After-School Programs - According to WWC Report (2009) ‘The Evaluation of
Enhanced Academic Instruction in After-School Programs’, it is possible to implement structured instruction in math and reading for second-through fifth-graders in an after-school setting. The provision of four days of training, ongoing on-site technical assistance, and local program coordinators supported implementation. The program produced a 26 to 30 percent increase in hours of academic instruction for math and 22 to 23 percent increase for reading, over the school year ( https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20094077/ ). PPS offers after school programming to support instruction and provide intervention to students.
Summer Enrichment – According to, ‘Evidence-Supported Interventions Associated with
Black Students’ Education Outcomes: Findings From a Systematic Review of
Research’ (https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED581117 February 2018), implementation of a summer reading program with free books is one of 22 evidence-based interventions that may improve academic outcomes for Black students.
Furthermore, a 2014 report on, ‘The effects of increased learning time on student academic and nonacademic outcomes: Findings from a meta-analytic review,’ found that Out-of- school programs had a positive effect on students’ academic motivation; Certified teachers and
PR/Award # U215J180082 17 Page e36 traditional instruction each had a positive effect on students’ academic outcomes; experiential instruction had a positive effect on social-emotional skill development; Increased learning time had a positive effect on students performing below standards; Increased learning time can be effective in urban, suburban, and mixed locales; Increased learning time programs had a positive effect on the academic achievement of elementary school students
(https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/appalachia/pdf/REL_2014015.pdf). At PPS, various after school and summer school programs used to increase learning time and provide valuable experiences to students are used regularly.
Build Scaffolding for Careers & Encourage Higher Education
Dual Enrollment - Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to take college courses and earn college credits while still attending high school. Such programs are designed to boost college access and degree attainment, especially for students typically underrepresented in higher education. Dual enrollment programs support college credit accumulation and degree attainment via at least three mechanisms. First, allowing high school students to experience college-level courses helps them prepare for the social and academic requirements of college while having the additional supports available to high school students; this may reduce the need for developmental coursework. Second, students who accumulate college credits early and consistently are more likely to attain a college degree. Third, many dual enrollment programs offer discounted or free tuition, which reduces the overall cost of college and may increase the number of low socioeconomic status students who can attend and complete college. According to the What Works Clearinghouse Dual enrollment programs were found to have positive effects on students’ degree attainment (college), college access and enrollment, credit accumulation, completing high school, and general academic achievement (high school), with a medium to
PR/Award # U215J180082 18 Page e37 large extent of evidence. For the staying in high school, college readiness, and attendance (high school) domains, dual enrollment programs had potentially positive effects with a small extent of evidence.
(https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_dual_enrollment_022817.pdf )
PPS has dual enrollment programs with Rutgers university, Felician University, Seton Hall
University, Farleigh Dickenson University, Passaic County Community College, and is working to expand partnerships with more schools.
Career Academies - Career Academies are school-within-school programs operating in high schools. Students in Career Academies take both career-related and academic courses and acquire work experience through partnerships with local employers. According to the What
Works Clearinghouse, career academies were found to have potentially positive effects on completing school.
(https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_careeracademies_092215.pdf)
To help graduation rates and improve attendance, JFK High School is broken into 4 academies: the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; the School of Architecture and Construction Trades; the School of Education and Training; and the School of Business,
Marketing, Technology, and Finance.
Summer Bridge To College - Summer Bridge programs are designed to ease the transition to college and support postsecondary success by providing students with the academic skills and social resources needed to succeed in a college environment. These programs occur in the summer “bridge” period between high school and college. Although the content of summer bridge programs can vary across institutions and by the population served, they typically last 2–4 weeks and involve (a) an in-depth orientation to college life and resources, (b) academic
PR/Award # U215J180082 19 Page e38 advising, (c) training in skills necessary for college success (e.g., time management and study skills), and/or (d) accelerated academic coursework. According to the What Works
Clearinghouse, Summer Bridge programs have potentially positive effects on degree attainment
(Murphy, T. E., Gaughan, M., Hume, R., & Moore, S. G. Jr., 2010). PPS plans to offer bridge programs to graduating seniors in 2019 and beyond.
Paterson Public Schools (PPS) will implement a cradle to career approach using the strategies mentioned above to meet Competitive Preference Priority 4 – Evidence-Based
Activities, Strategies, or Interventions, and to support our students and families at our Full
Service Community Schools. c. Strong Community Partnerships
Oasis- A Haven for Women and Children
Oasis is a nonprofit 501 ( c ) (3) organization located in Paterson, New Jersey. Working from a three-story building on 59 Mill Street, Paterson, at the heart of the First Ward- one o the city’s poorest sections. This organization carries out education and social service programs that help local women enter and succeed in the work force and help children flourish academically.
Oasis also operates a soup kitchen and provides emergency food, clothing, and social support to city residents in need.
Oasis was established twenty years ago by two women who noticed a need: while there were several soup kitchen in Paterson, most catered to adults and not children. Oasis began in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church, at the intersection of Main and Ward Streets in
Paterson, NJ. Within the first five months, Oasis volunteers served 6,000 meals and gave away more than 500 bags of food. Oasis is a place where program participants experience a deep connection to one another and to the staff and volunteer members. It is a public space where
PR/Award # U215J180082 20 Page e39 women and children facing a turbulent time can find a sense of comfort, hope, belonging and acceptance. Oasis’s presence in the Paterson community plays a significant role to helping those in need get a better chance at life.
New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC)
NJCDC is a full-service organization working to transform the City of Paterson into a thriving, diverse, and sustainable city for current and future generations. Founded in 1994,
NJCDC strives to better the community and those who are in crucial need of assistance to get in the right direction. Focusing on four key areas: Education and Youth Development through the establishment of seamless pipeline of educational programs starting before birth with parent education programs, and support for children throughout their individual developmental pathways all the way through high school graduation: Revitalizing Paterson through acquiring neighborhood anchors left in disrepair, rehabilitating these buildings, and repurposing them as community assets—including a preschool and charter school; constructing more than a dozen community parks, playgrounds, and gardens; helping to establish the Great Falls as a National
Park; innovative economic development and a focus on public policy: Community Outreach to engage local residents and business owners to assist in the planning and implementation of all
Great Falls Promise Neighborhood (GFPN) initiatives: and Affordable/Supportive Housing, creating 160 units for vulnerable individuals and families who need it most. The establishment of the GFPN has allowed us to bring together public and private resources, community partners, and residents to create the foundation for a new neighborhood.
NJCDC also operates comprehensive Teen Centers in four area high schools to promote healthy lifestyles and provide educational enrichment and support services. Through our
AmeriCorps national service program (which we call the Paterson Community Schools Corps),
PR/Award # U215J180082 21 Page e40 NJCDC works in several neighborhood schools to provide a range of supportive services to help students and families succeed. With the expansion into John F. Kennedy, it is certain that students and their families will be provided with the help they need to positively change their life.
NJCDC provides inner-city children with comprehensive after-school programs, and programs such as the Paterson Youth Council, Great Falls YouthBuild, and Great Falls Youth
Corps throughout the year to cultivate youth leadership and instill a sense of giving back to the community. NJCDC also offers parent education classes for expectant families and parents of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers to help them improve their parenting skills.
Paterson Education Fund (PEF)
The Paterson Education Fund (PEF) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to stimulate community action for change so that the Paterson Public Schools ensure that all
Paterson children achieve high standards. Founded in 1983, PEF has influenced the community of Paterson significantly through a variety of different activities they provide for children and families. Some of the organization’s goals are:
To build the community’s civic capacity to support, monitor and advocate education
reform.
To educate and enable community leadership to understand and act on changing
education needs.
To provide a forum for the community to effectively participate in the decision-making
processes concerning education.
Paterson Reads, a community collaboration of the Paterson Alliance, with the Paterson
Education Fund has provided numerous books to children during the summer reading program.
PR/Award # U215J180082 22 Page e41 PEF works in partnership with YMCA’s 21st Century Learning Centers to provide informal science enrichment. During the school year, students participate in two hands-on lessons a week to enhance their knowledge beyond the topics they explore in the school curriculum. Paterson teachers are selected who are dedicated to improving their practice and deepening student learning. PEF has sponsored Girls United for the Earth (GUFE), since 2005, which is an enrichment program for girls 13 to 18 from School 2. This learning project helps girls explore environmental justice and science careers. PEF also established the Mel Merians Young Men’s
Enrichment Program for young boys to explore science enrichment and personal development through hands-on interactive experiences.
Felician University
Felician is an independent co-educational Catholic/Franciscan University, founded and sponsored by the Felician Sisters in 1942. The University operates on two campuses in Lodi and
Rutherford, New Jersey. Its goal is to educate a diverse population of students within the framework of a liberal arts tradition. Open to students of all backgrounds and convictions, its mission is to provide a full complement of learning experiences. Felician strives to reinforce students with strong academic and developmental programs designed to bring them to their highest potential.
The university was built with an emphasis on service and respect for humanity as its founding philosophy. As a co-educational, liberal arts institution, Felician is home to approximately 2,300 undergraduate, graduate and adult studies students. Felician’s close proximity to New York City enables their faculty to integrate all the attributes of the nearby cultural capital in terms of commerce, finance, art, technology and entertainment into our innovative curriculum.
PR/Award # U215J180082 23 Page e42
Health N Wellness Services
Health N Wellness has been a critical part of Paterson’s Full Service Community Schools initiative from the onset of our community schools. Beginning with early days of the full service concept, Health & Wellness has adapted to the needs of the community around the school. The non-academic barriers that effect children can lead to developmental issues, poor mental health and academic vulnerability. The Full Service Health Centers under the direction of Health N
Wellness, has helped to break the cycle of poverty by working with families at the most basic level. Providing pediatric, dental, audio, vision, nutrition education, behavioral counseling and clinical services to students and families, they have created an oasis amongst the turmoil in the community. The opportunity for success is the right that every child should have. As partners towards that goal, this organization has committed itself to bridging the gap that exists within impoverished communities.
PR/Award # U215J180082 24 Page e43 II. Quality of Project Services
Pipeline services are critical support systems in Paterson’s Cradle to Career approach for students, families, and community members to assist in providing students with the opportunity to attend school ready to learn every day, provide opportunities for families to become actively involved in bettering their lives and advocating for their children, and implementing strategies to transform Paterson’s communities to be safer, stronger, and more supportive of the needs and the goals of its residents.
Pipeline Service Existing Pipeline Services Proposed New Pipeline Services High quality early childhood - Early childhood centers - Strengthening the programs located in community and partnership between a local within our schools PreK Center and School 2 High quality school-day and - After school and summer - JFK HS Student Tutoring out-of-school strategies programming located at Oasis Program for School 2 - 21st Century Grant at JFK students -After school and summer programming with Oasis located at School 2 Support for a child’s - Paterson’s Department of - Kindergarten Summer transition to elementary, and Early Childhood Education Bridge Program secondary education to kindergarten transition - Mentorship Program for postsecondary education practices College and Career Readiness - 21st Century Grant Summer at JFK Program - Post secondary summer - 21st Century Grant Summer bridge with Felician Bridge Program for Incoming University Freshmen Students with - Financial Aid Assistance NJCDC Program with Felician - Various NJCDC Youth University Development Programs - Saturday Education and Career Pathways Program with Felician University - College Summer Bridge Program with Felician University - Office of College and Career Readiness at JFK Activities that support - Workplace Readiness - Felician and NJCDC work postsecondary and workforce Program and Computer study/internship programs
PR/Award # U215J180082 25 Page e44 readiness Training Program with Oasis - Career services program through Felician Community-based support - Oasis Teen Empowerment for students who have and Enrichment Network attended the schools in the - Oasis Rise and Shine area served by the pipeline Saturday Program - NJCDC Teen Centers Social, health, nutrition and - Establish a school-based mental health health clinic at School 2 and services/supports JFK to provide medical and mental and behavioral health services - Health and drug prevention program with Planned Parenthood Juvenile crime prevention - Restorative Justice Program and rehabilitation programs for JFK and School 2 facilitated by PEF
Other FSCS Activities Existing Services Proposed New Services Family/parental - Abriendo Puertas/Opening - Parent workshops and engagement, literacy, Doors through Oasis family engagement nights for leadership, and education - PreK Family Workers School 2 and El Mundo de programs through PPS PreK Program Colores families through - Adult Education Program Oasis through Oasis - Parent workshops and family engagement activities for high school parents at JFK through NJCDC Activities that improve access - Site coordinators at School to and the use of social 2 and JFK to provide a services and promote family pathway to access to essential financials stability social services through community partnerships Programs to assist - Success mentors at JFK chronically absent, truant, through NJCDC suspended, or expelled - Mental and behavioral students counseling through Health N Wellness
PR/Award # U215J180082 26 Page e45 Pipeline Services a. High quality early childhood programs
Paterson Public School District has an existing pipeline services of high quality early childhood programs that are based on high expectations for the preschool population in preparation for academic and social success in future grades. Paterson’s children benefit when families, schools, and communities invest in the preschool program. PPS’ Department of Early
Childhood Education (DECE) works in collaboration with Community Preschool Providers as well as In-district Public School Preschools. DECE works with numerous stakeholders to ensure that PPS’ preschool program meets the diverse needs of our children as well as provide a high quality preschool experience. A key component of the high quality experience is the emphasis on attending school every day. Paterson believes that instilling the practice and belief with our students and parents from an early age the importance of attendance will benefit the student and family as they progress throughout the grade levels.
Paterson preschool programs utilizes The Creative Curriculum, a research-based comprehensive curriculum to guide 3- and 4-year-old students. DECE continuously provides training to all preschool teachers and provides job-embedded coaching and support through
District PreK Master Teachers. Additional support is provided to our English Language Learners by requiring all centers to have bilingual staff available for dialogue and interaction with children. Students have the opportunity to express themselves, develop motor skills, and experience literature and communication in their own language, music, science and nature. In
Paterson we are fortunate that many of our teachers and instructional assistants are bilingual due to the rich diversity of our community, which appropriately translates into staff that understand the language, culture, and tradition of the population served. This fosters stronger relationships
PR/Award # U215J180082 27 Page e46 between parents and school and provides a comfortable environment for a family’s first formal educational experience.
Through our grant proposal, Paterson’s goal is to strengthen a preschool center and
School 2 to provide supportive programming for families and students as they make the transition from PreK to Kindergarten. El Mundo de Colores, located three blocks from School 2, is a Paterson PreK Center that is managed by our community. Founded in 1992, El Mundo de
Colores provides early childhood education to 154 children with an age range of 2 ½ to 6 through a variety of programming during the school year and summer. The majority of 4-year- olds from El Mundo de Colores attend School 2 for Kindergarten, creating a natural pipeline for students and families. As detailed under forthcoming pipeline services in this application, El
Mundo de Colores students and families will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of programs and services to solidify the pathway of high quality early childhood education from our families’ first educational experiences continuing to elementary school.
Paterson’s early childhood vision is to develop school readiness for all children and families in order to ensure that our students have a high quality, comprehensive, culturally appropriate early childhood experience and it is our mission to become a leader in education
New Jersey urban preschool children by igniting a passion for learning through high quality preschool experiences.
PR/Award # U215J180082 28 Page e47 b. High quality school-day and out-of-school strategies
A new pipeline service that is proposed through the FSCS Grant is a targeted after school program for students at School 2. Through Oasis, School 2’s community partner, an after school program for approximately 100 students in grades 1 – 8 will be provided to target English
Language Arts and Mathematics instruction, homework help, academic enrichment, youth development activities, and recreation. Every Friday, the students will participate in STEAM
Fridays; a science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics program. Students will engage in project-based learning to develop critical thinking skills and foster a sense of exploration and discovery. Additional youth development activities will be facilitated throughout the week to assist School 2’s students in identifying talents and interests to motivate students to explore a potential career path. Oasis will also provide a social worker on site to assist with addressing the mental and behavioral health needs of the students at School 2. This social worker will collaborate with the social workers from the school-based health clinic to provide counseling to those students most in need.
Student recruitment and registration for the after school program will be strategically aligned to state and school assessment results with the students who are most in need of ELA nad
Math intervention provided the first seats. Through our needs assessment with Principal Van
Liew, it was discovered that there is a math class of 7th grade students who have not had a full- time math teacher since they were in fourth grade due to a variety of medical leaves and vacancies. This program will provide the intensive instruction needed to supplement mathematical practice reasoning skills that have been missed through the past few years. In collaboration with Principal Van Liew and her administrative team, addition groups of students will be identified for the program. The program will run five days a week (Monday – Friday)
PR/Award # U215J180082 29 Page e48 from 3:00PM to 6:00PM. Students will receive a hot dinner meal and a nutritious snack during the program.
Additionally, Oasis will provide a summer program in partnership with and located at
School 2. With the goal of combatting summer learning loss, and to keep our School 2 students away from the lure of city streets, a program will be offered for four weeks at 5 days per week.
This program will be an extension of the after school program with ELA and math intervention components, academic enrichment, youth development activities, and recreation.
Oasis currently houses an after school program at its location on Mill Street that services
80 School 2 students and is independently funded. The combined programs will provide targeted after school instruction and activities to 180 students, or 30% of the school population. Oasis’ youth development program provides children with academic and psychosocial support outside classroom hours to improve their chances to succeed at school and in life.
NJCDC and Oasis will partner together to provide a high school tutoring program for students at School 2. Given JFK’s School of Education Training, this is an additional opportunity for our students to gain relevant field experience. Students from School 2 will benefit from the additional assistance of the high school students and mentor relationships will be fostered through this program.
In keeping with Paterson’s intention to select high quality community partners, NJCDC has an existing after school and summer program that is funded by their 21st Century Community
Learning Centers (CCLC) Grant and the program title is Compete For Life (CFL). NJCDC successfully applied for a five-year renewal of their 21st CCLC grant that will begin in school year 2018-2019. If awarded the FSCS grant for JFK, NJCDC’s high quality after school and summer program will run seamlessly and simultaneously with the five-year FSCS grant,
PR/Award # U215J180082 30 Page e49 providing extended learning programming at no cost to FSCS. The focus of CFL is college and career readiness and addresses several performance measures within our FSCS grant proposal.
Components of the CFL Program:
Academic Remediation - Academic remediation will be the first structured activity in the
CFL after-school program. Beginning at 3:30 and ending at 4:30 pm, students will receive
30 minutes of Math and 30 minutes of Language Arts remediation. The Unit Assessments
are the most widely used computer-adaptive testes in K-12 schools. Each student takes the
Unit assessments four times a year and the data is collected to inform curriculum. From
the most recent student scores, teachers are provided with an extensive list of skills that
students struggle with. This remediation is important to the Career Exploration theme
because students need a strong academic foundation to successfully absorb the career-
focused academic material from the school day. Since the certified teachers will be from
the schools, they will be familiar with the curriculum and will be able to provide direct
links to work done during the academic day.
Academic Enrichment – In addition to providing curriculum to support remediation efforts
afterschool, the Unit Assessment will also provide teachers with an extensive list of skills
that students are ready to learn next. This additional instruction will give students the
competitive advantage versus their non-CFL schoolmates because they will have access to
academic material that is more advanced than the material covered during the school day.
Additionally, CFL will make linkages between students’ professional interests and
regional/national professional associations and competitions in order to provide fund and
hands-on practical professional experience. NJCDC has sponsored Robotics and Chess
teams at regional and national competitions utilizing funding from the 21st CCLC.
PR/Award # U215J180082 31 Page e50 Culture and Arts - CFL students attend schools where the curriculum is heavily academic-
driven and leaves little room for cultural and artistic exploration. NJCDC will provide
students with an introduction to various artistic genres so that they can get a sense of the
arts and can consider what type of artistic expression (if any) they will pursue in college.
Chef Feoli will teach students how to cook healthy foods and balanced yet culturally
appropriate meals. Creative Force will teach visual arts and performance arts including
spoken word as a club.
Positive Youth Development - Evidence-based Positive Action Program (PA), to facilitate
positive youth development. PA is the only character education program in the nation to
have garnered the top rating of the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works
Clearinghouse in both the academic achievement and behavior domains. PA is an age-
appropriate school curriculum that teaches skills for good character in the physical,
intellectual, social and emotional realm. This is important to our theme because in order to
be successful in college and in careers, students need to understand the consequences of
action and inaction. This curriculum will give students the soft skills necessary to navigate
the career exploration process and identify career goals.
Summer Programming - The CFL Summer Program will focus on Academic Enrichment
in the form of project-based learning, Positive Youth Development and Physical Fitness
for four weeks during the summer (July-August). All 255 participants will be invited to
participate in the CFL Summer Program, and we will accommodate at least 130 students.
The program will run for four weeks, five days a week, for five hours every day. As part
of the CFL Summer Program, incoming freshmen to JFK are invited to attend to take part
in the program as a summer bridge and introduction to the high school environment.
PR/Award # U215J180082 32 Page e51 Students will receive academic enrichment, youth development and physical fitness and
two nutritious meals every day. CFL will spend 30 minutes on breakfast and 30 minutes
on lunch while incorporating appropriate social interactions and team-building activities, 2
hours on academic enrichment, 1 hour on youth development, and 1 hour on physical
fitness. Some of the course offerings will include: Hooked on Fish not on Drugs, CSI
Forensics, SAT Prep, Desktop Publishing, Fashion Design and Construction,
Cosmetology, Culinary Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Academic Enrichment Summer Component - The Summer Career Institute (“the
institute”), our academic enrichment component, is designed to introduce students to
careers in science, technology engineering and math. The Institute will be broken down
into four project-based challenges: Roadway Safety Unit, Intermodal Bridge Unit,
Waterway Unit, and the Aviation Unit. Each Unit will have a dedicated week of activities.
On Mondays there will be a guest speaker and an overview of the subject matter theme for
that week. On Tuesdays students will receive a challenge to build a scale model related to
that week’s theme (a model car, bridge, boat and aircraft). On two Wednesdays, students
will participate in a field trips, (Liberty Science Center, US Intrepid at the South Street
Seaport). On Thursdays, the students will continue to work on their scale model project.
On Fridays, the students will present their projects to the groups and must explain their
designs to the entire group. This will be a competitive project and the culminating event
will yield one winning group every week based on the reliability of the scale model. This
project design will introduce students to careers in four different career areas, give them
the opportunity to gain hands on experience in the career fields, and provide opportunities
for them to interact with professionals in those industries. Additionally, the Institute
PR/Award # U215J180082 33 Page e52 combats summer learning loss through introducing students to rigorous math and
technology academic objectives.
The purpose and goal of providing various extended learning opportunities to our students at
School 2 and JFK is to ultimately increase academic achievement on state assessments.
Paterson’s first performance measure is dedicated to track and demonstrate increased achievement on state assessments. Through intensive intervention targeted at our most challenged students, PPS will be able to provide the additional supports outside of the regular learning day to accomplish this goal and meet our performance measure. c. Support for a child’s transition to elementary, and secondary education to
postsecondary education
Support for students and families during transitional time in the educational journey from
PreK through post-secondary education is extremely important, especially in urban areas where youth may not have an independent support structure at home in place. Often the school provides a safe haven for students from the challenges of the neighborhood and home and it is critical to provide support during transition times in order to set the student and family up for success for the next leg of their educational journey.
As an existing pipeline service, Paterson’s Department of Early Childhood Education
(DECE) provides a kindergarten transition plan that includes several components:
Inviting families to visit their child’s future kindergarten
Distribute home-learning activities including a summer book list and other early literacy
activities
Hold transition meetings with parents to provide an overview of the transition process and
kindergarten expectations
PR/Award # U215J180082 34 Page e53 Offer early registration for kindergarten families so they have time to prepare children for
their new educational setting
Arrange field trips for students to a neighboring elementary school to increase the child’s
familiarity with the new learning environment
Invite kindergarten teachers to visit the children in their PreK classrooms and give parent
presentations
As part of Paterson’s grant proposal for a new pipeline service, the students of El Mundo de Colores entering kindergarten and teachers of School 2 will participate in a Kindergarten
Summer Bridge in August. This will provide students with the opportunity to engage with their future kindergarten teachers prior to the beginning of the school year. Along with activities that introduce the incoming kindergarten students to School 2’s environment, they will participate in phonic and literacy activities along with an introduction to the math curriculum. With
Paterson’s newly adopted Wonders Reading Program for students in grades K – 5, additional days of instruction can be beneficial to providing the student with an introduction before the school year begins. In addition, the program will collaborate with physical education, art, music, and other specialist teachers to provide academic enrichment activities to support student interests and provide an engaging and fun environment.
As part of NJCDC’s 21st Century Program at JFK and an existing pipeline service, a summer bridge component is offered to all incoming freshmen from School 2. Participating in this program will allow students to gain an insight to the four career-themed high school academies at JFK and participate in activities that foster student’s skills and interests.
JFK, in collaboration with NJCDC offers many existing pipeline services for Paterson’s students:
PR/Award # U215J180082 35 Page e54 NJCDC operates the Teen Center at JFK High School. The Teen Center
implements the 21st CCLC model, which is designed to promote academic
learning and physical and emotional health, so that students can complete high
school successfully and progress to higher education or into the workforce. The
Teen Center offers a myriad of programming and supports including tutoring,
educational enrichment programming, employment assistance, individual and
group counseling services, drug and alcohol prevention, gang prevention, sexual
health education, positive youth development workshops, college and career
awareness, and college application assistance. The Teen Center also has a
partnership with Planned Parenthood and with the 21st CCLC program. The Teen
Center operates during the school day, after-school and in the summer.
Biannually, NJCDC hosts the Paterson College Fair, the only college fair that
takes place in the City. On average, 30 colleges participate and 150 students and
their parents attend the fairs, hearing from panels about the freshman experience,
dorm life, college admissions, and financial aid. An additional panel, entitled
“undocuRutgers” offered advice for undocumented school students about how to
apply to college, and how to take advantage of the New Jersey Dream Act that
allows students who came to the United States as undocumented children to
attend NJ’s public colleges at in-state tuition rates, and apply for private
scholarships.
In addition, NJCDC connects high school students with summer employment
through a range of programs, including the Great Falls Youth Corps, an 8-week
program operated with the National Park Service where students study the park
PR/Award # U215J180082 36 Page e55 and its ecology, organize park beautification projects, offer guided tours, and
learn more about careers within the National Park Service. Junior Youth Build
and Neighborhood Corps are two youth summer employment programs that
engage youth in community service.
Working with the Passaic County One Stop, NJCDC will also offer Career
Services to high school students. The One Stop offers career
assistance/counseling, job market information, job search support, job clubs,
resume development, and job/career training opportunities. The One Stop can also
assist students with tuition waiver programs. Trained staff from the One Stop will
travel to each of our target high schools so there will be no need for student
transportation.
Through NJCDC’s Great Falls YouthBuild program, we work with 60 youth and
young adults every year to help them obtain their high school equivalency and
gain employment skills in the construction trade. Additionally, young adults
looking to obtain employment skills in the culinary arts will be referred to Eva’s
Village Culinary School, a NJCDC partner. Students will also be referred to
Oasis, to train as bank tellers and to pursue their high school equivalency.
To bolster students’ abilities to manage life challenges that can often affect their
academic achievement, we plan to implement Safe Schools Ambassadors, an
evidence-based program that trains socially influential student leaders in how to
resolve conflicts. This strategy employs student and staff surveys to identify
students who have a strong position and influence with their peers, good
communication skills, and a history of standing up for friends. Recruited students
PR/Award # U215J180082 37 Page e56 participate in a two-day interactive training that helps them develop skills to
resolve conflicts, defuse incidents, and support isolated and excluded students.
After the initial training, the Ambassadors meet regularly to strengthen skills and
sustain commitment to the programs.
A new pipeline service will be for NJCDC will create an Office of College and Career
Readiness (OCCR) to prepare students at all levels to pursue higher education/rewarding careers.
In high school, the OCCR programming emphasis will progress from exploration to preparation.
In 9th and 10th grades, College and Career Advocates from the OCCR will engage in academic case management, working with individual students to help them create an academic plan and select courses that create a college and career pathway that promotes full implementation of their personal goals. College and Career Advocates will also work with school guidance counselors and teachers to ensure that students are on the right academic track, and have all the support such as tutoring, that they need, and offer parent workshops that emphasize the importance of selecting appropriate high school classes, and dispel myths. We will also work with students and parents to develop advocacy skills, so they can ensure their child is receiving the appropriate support. Students and families will also be exposed to colleges through trips to local colleges to see plays or attend sporting events; 10 colleges (Berkeley College, Bloomfield College, Fairleigh
Dickinson University, Kean University, Montclair State University, Passaic County Community
College, Ramapo College, Rutgers University, Seton Hall University, and William Paterson
University) are located in Paterson or within 20 minutes of the City. The OCCR will arrange for guest speakers from colleges, and return visits from past PPS graduates who have gone on to college. In order to provide expanded college readiness support to teens in the 11th and 12th grades, NJCDC will launch a mentorship program. College and Career Advocates will
PR/Award # U215J180082 38 Page e57 implement broader college and career activities, and mentors will work individually with mentees to provide college admissions and career counseling; assist with financial aid forms; course selection guidance; college application help; additional college campus visits; college entrance exam prep; study skills workshops; and parent workshops. The OCCR will work closely with the PPS Department of College and Career Readiness. In junior year, NJCDC will also offer
SAT classes, which will be delivered by certified teachers using free resources offered through
Khan Academy.
The OCCR will also provide information about and assist students in applying to the New
Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) programs that are located at 41 community colleges and public and private college and universities. The EOF programs provide financial assistance and support services such as counseling, tutoring, and developmental course work to college students from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. They also offer renewable grants ranging up to $2,500 annually. The OCCR will meet individually with high school juniors and seniors to discuss EOF opportunities, and provide workshops to families.
Continuing on the journey from Cradle to Career, our university partner has proposed with providing our students with college financial aid access assistance. The Student Financial
Services Department at Felician University will provide Paterson students information about the financial aid process and a full overview of different grants, scholarships, and loans for which students may eligible. The workshops are aimed at increasing the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. At least three representatives from Felician will be involved in the administration of the workshops. College attainment rates in urban centers such as Paterson suffer from limited opportunities for success.
A great deal of students lack the proper means to fund their college education. With large
PR/Award # U215J180082 39 Page e58 amounts of poverty in the city, families would qualify for government aid. However due to the limited understanding of the financial aid process, families tend to disregard college as a possibility. These workshops will empower and help create a consistent process for families to apply for financial aid. By having a credible and knowledgeable source, families in Paterson will now see college as a possibility. The Financial Literacy Workshops will consist of six sessions per academic year. At the end of each session students will have their FREE Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completed and submitted.
In addition to the Financial Aid Workshops, Felician University will provide Education
& Career Pathways Workshops, held for seven Saturdays throughout the year, which provide students personalized instruction in various subjects and career paths. Students will receive tailored attention from Felician faculty/staff to help guide them in their educational and career pathways. Students will explore appropriate areas of study according to their career interests.
Each Saturday session will focus on an academic field of study and the career connected to that.
As an example one Saturday may have a Biology/Chemistry workshop where students are experimenting and learning about the body. The following workshop on that day may be a discussion by an expert or professional in that field, explaining their day to day duties. The exposure will help students embrace the possibilities of choices in college.
Felician University’s School of Arts & Sciences will lead the various academic programs for twenty students annually selected for the College Summer Bridge Program. The goal will be to work with the students where they are in terms of academics and social-emotional capacity.
What has been found is that students from urban centers are not truly college ready when completing high school in comparison with their counterparts from more affluent areas. There are gaps in their academic skills that limit them from finishing college within 4-5 years. This
PR/Award # U215J180082 40 Page e59 undoubtedly causes more cost and hardship on the student. By working with students prior to them attending college, we can bring them to the academic standard needed to succeed in postsecondary education.
The Summer Bridget Program & College Exposure Program through partnership with
Felician University will focus on three topics/subjects to boost their abilities. College First-Year
Experience Course will enable students to acquire strategies useful for their academic and personal success within a college community. The students selected for the program will be those in their rising seniors. It provides students with an organized opportunity for engagement in the college experience. It will also address issues related to being a first year student (e.g., time management, study skills, exam preparation, etc.). Students will explore college success strategies that will familiarize them with the expectations of higher education. Students will also explore decision-making and their own personal values.
The English/Language Arts Remediation Course will emphasis on increasing the level of students’ writing skills and reading comprehension. The use of the thesis sentence and the patterns of organization in reading and writing are stressed, as is further study of grammar, sentence structure, and essay writing.
The Mathematics Remediation Course principal objective of this course is to bring students up to college proficiency in basic algebra skills. This course presumes only mastery of basic computational skills. Topics include solving equations, polynomials, factoring, graphing linear equations and inequalities, solving systems of linear equations, and radical expressions.
The purpose and goal of providing these pipeline transitional services is to support the student as they are progressing through their educational journey and set them up for success upon entering each new phase of education. Paterson’s performance measures that detail
PR/Award # U215J180082 41 Page e60 participation and outcome expectations for the kindergarten summer bridge, NJCDC transition programs, and the Felician summer bridge are designed to be part of the measurement of the success of these proposed pipeline service programs.
d. Activities that support postsecondary and workforce readiness
Families at El Mundo de Colores, School 2 and JFK will have access to Oasis’ existing pipeline services of providing workforce readiness training and certification programs. Oasis’ workplace readiness courses, run on eight-week cycles, provide training in job-seeking, interviewing, and basic employment skills. Participants are counselled in interpersonal skills and lifestyle habits and provide with the clothing they need for a job interview. Participants can also attend several certification courses that Oasis has to offer including: 1) ServSafe Certification through the American Restaurant Association, 2) Customer Service Certification through the
Nation al Retail Federation, or 3) Bank Teller Certification through the American Banking
Association. Full scholarships to attend home health aide training with HomeCare Options as part of an inter-agency exchange are also offered to interested participants. A computer training program is offered for multiple user levels for Microsoft Office Programs such as Word, Excel,
PowerPoint. Participants will have access to the computer lab at Oasis to practice and then get assistance with their job search.
Through our needs assessment, the JFK principals identified the need for internships and work study programs for students. These programs will provide relevant job-related experiences for our students and increase college and career readiness. Participation and outcome expectations will be measured through various performance measures detailed in the evaluation section. Felician University will work in partnership with JFK and NJCDC to provide work
PR/Award # U215J180082 42 Page e61 study and internship opportunities to three to six students annually. The job placement will provide an income to the student and a social safety net for economically depressed families.
They will receive training related to the location of their placement. Depending on their placement (various offices at the university) they will get firsthand experience at working for a large organization. The focus will be to increase skills, expose students to a professional setting and provide possible career paths to participating students.
To further engage with our high school students to provide post-secondary supports, the
Career Services Center Department at Felician University will provide Paterson students with close mentorship towards building their professional abilities. Felician will provide detailed workshops on various key skills needed to prepare a person for success. These workshops will take place four times per year to give students more opportunities to attend. The workshops will have a focus on resume building, interview skills, public speaking, and body language during an interview and while at work. The legacy of limited opportunities from the city of Paterson has created a permanent underclass of people. This has infiltrated deeply where high paying jobs are already too few and far between, but now the skills to land those jobs aren’t there. Part of the issues stems from the community environment that restricts social skills to detrimental state. The interview skills workshops will meet our children where they are and provide them with a toolkit of success strategies to master these challenging life experiences. From appearance to impressions everything will be covered.
Expectations for activities that support postsecondary and workforce readiness are detailed in the performance measure section of the project narrative including adult education for
Paterson’s families within the targeted neighborhood and internship programs for students.
PR/Award # U215J180082 43 Page e62 e. Community-based support for students who have attended the schools in the area
served by the pipeline
Oasis and NJCDC have a strong presence in the community and provide existing pipeline services to provide Paterson’s students at the schools in our targeted neighborhood with community-based support. Oasis implements a Teen Empowerment and Enrichment Network
(TEEN) program that serves 70 students ages 14 – 18. Boys and girls work separately in classrooms form 3-6PM five days per week. TEEN addresses both academic and career orientation issues with sessions focusing on: academic skill development, college preparation and career planning, SAT/ACT Test Prep, and STEM and robotics training. Oasis staff and volunteers provide the teens with psycho-social support and a safe and welcoming after school environment. As part of this program, Oasis hosts an Annual Leadership and Success Summit for 100 high school girls to raise awareness of the variety of academic, work options, and opportunities available. Additionally, Oasis offers a number of post-secondary scholarships for participants in the TEEN Program.
Students in the pipeline area also have the opportunity to participate in Oasis’ Rise and
Shine Saturday Program and opens its doors on Saturday from 9AM – 3PM. Students participate in two ten-week cycles in the fall and spring semesters that include:
Math and Reading Tutoring: Each semester volunteers deliver private one-to-one
academic tutoring. Oasis’ on-site coordinator is present ot asses each child’s
needs and oversee the tutors’ interventions.
English as a Second Language: Instructors provide ESL classes on Saturdays for
children who need extra support learning English.
PR/Award # U215J180082 44 Page e63 Paterson Youth Photography Program: Each semester, expert volunteer
photographers teach students the art and techniques of picture-taking. Students
are loaned cameras and use them in lessons on: reflections, shadows and
distortion; buildings and structure, trick photography, and portraits. There is a
culminating celebration of the photography that showcases the students’ work.
Other Saturday Programs: Art, guitar, yoga, sewing, martial arts, SAT/ACT
tutoring, robotics, self-defense, anti-bullying, dance, and cooking.
NJCDC provides several existing pipeline services that provide community-based support for students in the targeted neighborhood. NJCDC provides inner-city children with comprehensive after-school programs, and programs such as the Paterson Youth Council, Great
Falls YouthBuild, and Great Falls Youth Corps throughout the year to cultivate youth leadership and instill a sense of giving back to the community. NJCDC also offers parent education classes for expectant families and parents of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers to help them improve their parenting skills.
NJCDC operates comprehensive Teen Centers in four area high schools to promote healthy lifestyles and provide educational enrichment and support services. Through the
AmeriCorps national service program (aka Paterson Community Schools Corps), NJCDC works in several neighborhood schools to provide a range of supportive services to help students and families succeed. With the expansion into John F. Kennedy, it is certain that students and their families will be provided with the help they need to positively change their life.
Teen Centers operate within JFK High School offer academic tutoring, educational enrichment programming, employment assistance, individual and group counseling services, drug and alcohol prevention, gang prevention, sexual health education, positive youth
PR/Award # U215J180082 45 Page e64 development workshops and college application assistance during the day and outside of school hours.
f. Social, health, nutrition and mental health services/supports
Through our needs assessment with the principals of School 2 and JFK, the top request of the FSCS Program was to provide mental and behavioral health services. The principals view this as one of the top barriers for students towards academic success and a major contributing factor to chronic absenteeism. There is an intense need for support for students who are challenged with trauma, grief, loss, anxiety, and a lack of de-escalation skills.
To address this need and in following what has been proven to be effective in Paterson’s existing community schools and to support a new pipeline service, School 2 and JFK will establish a school-based health clinic in partnerships with Health N Wellness. Each clinic will be outfitted with basic medical equipment that may be adapted to the specific tools that our traveling doctors and clinicians bring. Each clinic will offer pediatric care, dentistry, audiology screenings and referrals, optometry and eye glasses, nutrition counseling, and mental and behavioral health services. A treatment coordinator will run each clinic and coordinate medical and behavioral health services for the school’s students and families.
With a focus on mental and behavioral health, the school-based health clinic budget is aligned with that need. A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) will be assigned to each site to provide a variety of counseling services. The budget will be maximized by partnering with universities such as Columbia, Fordham, Rutgers, and Montclair State to provide Masters level social work graduate students (MSW) to complete an internship under the supervision of Health
N Wellness’ licensed clinical social workers. The LCSWs will provide the majority of one-to-
PR/Award # U215J180082 46 Page e65 one counseling for identified students. MSWs will work under the LCSWs to provide group therapy on a variety of topics such as anger management, getting along with parents and siblings, anxiety, trauma and grief.
New Jersey is in a transformation time for our school-based health clinics. There are currently no regulations specific to the operations of school-based health clinics and policies for other types of clinics are often unclear if it would apply to a school-based health clinic. In addition, in order for students to receive the care of our pediatrician, the parent must change their primary care physician to the clinic’s physician. This a major deterrent for our parents to utilize the clinic for pediatric services. However, the same policy does not apply to our other services and our dental and optometry with eye glasses enrollment is flourishing as school-based health clinics are able to claim reimbursement against the students’ insurance. Another challenge is that schools are not able to bill insurance for mental and behavioral health, which impacts our
FSCS budget.
As a benefit to Paterson, our health partner, Health N Wellness, was invited by the New
Jersey’s Department of Health to participate in a consortium to write policy specific to school- based health clinics. Once policies are put in place that end the need for parents to change the primary care physician and to allow Paterson to bill insurance for mental health, our clinics’ enrollment and staff capacity will drastically increase.
Performance measures have been established to track the enrollment and success of the school-based health clinics in providing easily accessible medical and behavioral health services for students and families.
Additional new pipeline services will include a partnership with JFK, NJCDC and
Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood will assist in creating a strong program in the area of
PR/Award # U215J180082 47 Page e66 family life and human sexuality for JFK students. Planned Parenthood will assign a Family Life
Skills Educator to be at the JFK site weekly. Planned Parenthood will offer individual and group counseling, as well as workshops on a variety of topics including responsible sex education, pregnancy prevention and the prevention of HIV and STDs. In the area of pregnancy prevention,
Planned Parenthood will help ensure that the program promotes reduction and prevention strategies that are balanced and include abstinence, monogamy and contraception. Planned
Parenthood operates a full-service health clinic in Paterson, NJ and will implement a referral protocol to enable students (and family members) to take full advantage of services, such as gynecological examinations, HIV testing, contraception and treatment of STDs.
Planned Parenthood will provide ‘Living Room Talks’, which is in a comfortable setting for all who attend and participate. Educators work with parents in a "living room," and with their children in a "classroom," and then bring everyone together to share what they've learned. Living
Room Talks is a 2 1/2 hour program in which parents and their young teens can get comfortable talking with each other about mature topics and the transition of growing into young adults, sexuality and relationships, and learn the skills they need to communicate effectively with each other about behavior and values. Planned Parenthood's educators create a fun, safe space for family communication and facilitate conversations about topics that are important for young people's healthy development.
The Living Room Talks program is for boys and girls aged 12-15 and their parents/caregivers. The program is offered in a comfortable setting in Newark. Each workshop is organized so that health educators work with parents/caregivers and their children, both separately and together in the same, single evening. Food will be provided as well as $20 for
PR/Award # U215J180082 48 Page e67 transportation. This project initiative will prove to be an effective way for parents and children to discuss sensitive topics and how to make positive choices.
Planned Parenthood will also provide Health and Drug Prevention programs providing health workshops, drug prevention programs, and a focus on healthy relationships.
g. Juvenile crime prevention and rehabilitation programs
As a new pipeline service, The Paterson Education Fund will provide training on the
Restorative Justice Program to JFK and School 2. This program brings anyone harmed by crime and the person who harmed them, along with affected family and community members together in dialogue that aims to build understanding, explore how the crime has impacted those involved, including the community and develop agreements for what will be done to make things right.
This project initiative brings everyone together and creates a sense of belonging and a voice to be heard. These practices emphasis on fairness through understanding. Sitting in a circle is a fundamentally different experience than sitting in rows or meeting across a desk. Sitting in a circle has proven to create a sense of community. There is no barrier between the student and their peer.
Restorative Justice is an alternative to using punishment to manage misbehavior.
Restorative practices in schools are based on restorative justice principles instead of punishment.
They aim first to build classroom communities that are supported by clear agreements, authentic communication, and specific tools to bring issues and conflicts forward in a helpful way.
PEF will introduce this project initiative to help students come together instead of forming gangs on one another. Students will learn to value a regularly use pro-active positive ways to build and maintain a peaceful classroom community as well as develop a supportive
PR/Award # U215J180082 49 Page e68 connection with their peers. Students will learn different positive approaches to resolve a situation other than crime.
Teachers will understand the core principals of restorative justice and restorative practices and how they differ from traditional or corrective approaches. Educators will learn ways to help students recognize when there may be a problem arising and help resolve the matter before it escalates into a bigger issue. Teachers will also learn how to introduce and lead circle dialogues of students sitting in a circle to discuss a variety of topics.
PEF will implement the training to school administrators, teachers, and additional staff members and provide job-embedded coaching as the program is being implemented. In addition,
PEF will facilitate site visits to other urban school district in New Jersey and New York that are implementing the Restorative Justice strategy for school administrators and staff.
Other Full Service Activities a. Family/parental engagement, literacy, leadership, and education programs
A key contributing factor to the success of students is the level of parent engagement in the education of their children. As part of Paterson’s proposed Cradle to Career strategy, this begins for children at birth. Oasis, our community partner for School 2, will continue to provide the pipeline service of the Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) program for parents of children ages 0 – 5. Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors is an evidence-based parent leadership and advocacy curriculum that was designed specifically for Latino parents that incorporates vales, concerns, and culture into the curriculum. This program helps Paterson’s parents to understand their role beginning at birth as their child’s first teacher. The early years are especially important since the majority of a child’s brain grows before they are 5 years old. The role of being a
PR/Award # U215J180082 50 Page e69 child’s first teacher is daunting for any parent, and can be especially challenging for parents who are new to The United States or do not speak English. This ten-session course covers topics such as child development, family success, child language development, reading to children from birth, importance of balanced nutrition and exercise, choosing child care or an early education program, and the rights and responsibilities of the public education system.
El Mundo de Colores employs family workers to strengthen and maintain the connection between the preschool and PreK families. They have experience working with families and well as knowledge of local community resources and social service agencies. Family workers collaborate closely with instructional staff at the building to identify any family challenges that may be impacting the preschool student’s social and academic achievement. The family workers have ongoing communication with families to ensure that their social and health service needs are being met through monthly meetings with parents that cover topics such as child development, literacy, advocacy for children, and health updates and concerns.
Oasis provides an existing pipeline service of parent education opportunities to families in the targeted neighborhood of our proposed FSCS School 2 and JFK. Although not funded by the FSCS grant, Oasis will continue to provide these services with increased access for our families at El Mundo de Colores, School 2, and JFK. Classes are provided six days per week and childcare is offered to parents to increase participation, a critical service that allows many parents to attend courses that would otherwise be unavailable to them. This program offers the below programs:
Basic Literacy and High School Equivalency Test Preparation Courses: three
instructional levels prepare students for the math, science, English, and social
studies components of the High School Equivalency test. A supplemental
PR/Award # U215J180082 51 Page e70 program is provided to address basic literacy needs preparing adults who have
less than a sixth grade education to enter into the High School Equivalency
preparation program.
Workplace Readiness Program: Oasis’ workplace readiness courses, run on
eight-week cycles, provide training in job-seeking, interviewing, and basic
employment skills. Participants are counselled in interpersonal skills and lifestyle
habits and provide with the clothing they need for a job interview. Participants
can also attend several certification courses that Oasis has to offer including: 1)
ServSafe Certification through the American Restaurant Association, 2) Customer
Service Certification through the Nation al Retail Federation, or 3) Bank Teller
Certification through the American Banking Association. Full scholarships to
attend home health aide training with HomeCare Options as part of an inter-
agency exchange are also offered to interested participants.
Computer Training Program: A computer training program is offered for multiple
user levels for Microsoft Office Programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
Participants will have access to the computer lab at Oasis to practice and then get
assistance with their job search.
English as a Second Language: Oasis offers four levels of ESL courses that focus
on the formal structure of languages and grammar and on conversational English.
Reading and writing is introduced at Level 4.
Citizenship Class: this course through Oasis helps parents prepare for the citizen
shops test administered by the Department of Homeland Security. To be eligible,
an applicant must be at least 18 years old and a lawfully admitted permanent US
PR/Award # U215J180082 52 Page e71 resident. This course runs twice per year, over an eight-week period, and it taught
by an Oasis ESL teacher.
New pipeline services for parent engagement and workshop opportunities through Oasis will occur at School 2 and be targeted to the School 2 and El Mundo de Colores family and community members. In collaboration with Principal Van Liew, Oasis has proposed providing a workshop series on the below topics:
Parenting skills
Empowerment workshops
Financial literacy
Immigration Rights
Renter Rights
Four family engagement activities to foster the relationship between parent and
child including literacy and science experiment nights
In addition, NJCDC will host a variety of parent workshops at JFK. NJCDC will also provide Family and Community activities such as: CORE Team Support and Activities and
Family Engagement and Workshops which will help develop partners to connect to parents.
Parents would host workshops and offer resources such as ESL for families and parents. Family workshop topics could include: EDL Health Insurance and Benefit, Tax Workshops, College
Readiness- Everything parents need to know with helping to find jobs, credit workshops, diabetes workshops, asthma workshops and Interviewing skills.
PR/Award # U215J180082 53 Page e72 b. Activities that improve access to and the use of social services and promote family
financials stability
FSCS Site Coordinators at School 2 and JFK will provide parents with an increased access to essential social services that meet every day needs such as housing, food instability and subsidies, assistance with essential utilities, tax preparation, and access to health services beyond the capacity of our school-based health clinic. The site coordinators will work with identified families utilizing the case management approach to support the family through various stages of accessing services including identifying needed services, providing contact support to service agencies, providing transportation if needed to assist family with traveling to service agency, following-up with family while they are receiving the social service to provide additional assistance if needed, and then maintaining contact after the family is self-sufficient and no longer needs the assistance of the social service with the understanding that some families may need long-term support.
c. Programs to assist chronically absent, truant, suspended, or expelled students
A new proposed service will be to provide students who are chronically absent, truant, suspended or expelled with access to a counselor through the school-based health clinic. One of the main purposes of having a school-based health clinic is so that students are not absent from school to make appointments for health needs. Another aspect of that is to provide preventive and reactive services for students who are chronically absent and suspended as a means to increase seat time at school.
In addition to support this FSCS activity, NJCDC will provide programs to address chronic absenteeism through student incentives and success mentoring programs to help students better
PR/Award # U215J180082 54 Page e73 understand the importance of attending school and gaining full advantage of the school day.
NJCDC members will check in with students and make a daily connection. Mentoring can be done on a one on one basis or in group gatherings depending on the severity of the situation for the student. This program initiative will guide students towards realization the negative effects of chronic absenteeism can have on work load, academic performance and overall student achievement. The absenteeism rate at JFK is rapidly increasing and with special programs such as incentives and success mentoring being offered to students, NJCDC anticipates positive changes among students. These program incentives can motivate students to become interested in activities that they might not have been interested in before; motivating them to continue their involvement in these activities. It is likely that with a strong presence at the school, students will be encouraged to join and engage in program activities to better understand the overall goal of the program.
For at-risk youth participating in the mentoring program, there is potential to overcome larger obstacles in their personal lives. Effective school-based mentoring programs offered at JFK High
School, which is an at-risk school, has the potential to uplift both achievement and enrollment.
NJCDC hopes to gather as many students as possible to attend the mentoring groups to achieve a positive outcome, and for students to be an example of those who will follow in their footsteps.
d. Professional development for FSCS staff and school administrators
Paterson’s final component of our FSCS proposal is to provide professional development for our FSCS staff, specifically the site coordinators, and the principals of School 2 and JFK.
Professional development is essential as new FSCS programs are in their initial stages. PPS has learned through implementation of the FSCS model at our current five FSCS that principal buy-
PR/Award # U215J180082 55 Page e74 in and collaboration is a critical indicator of the success of the strategy. Likewise, professional development for the site coordinators is also essential to ensure a comprehensive approach to providing FSCS pipeline and essential services at the school level. To meet this need, Paterson has allocated funding to provide for the travel and accommodations for 10 FSCS staff and school administrators to attend the yearly FSCS conference in Washington DC.
As the principal is a critical figure in leveraging access to and advertisement for FSCS programs and services, Paterson has identified the need to provide additional professional development in this area. PPS’ first FSCS Principal of School 5, Maria Santa, is a veteran principal and assistant superintendent who has served the Paterson School District in many capacities. The Department of FSCS partnered with Ms. Santa this year to provide our existing five FSCS principals with a five-part “Lunch and Learn” series. During these workshop opportunities, Ms. Santa would sit with the principals as a group to discuss how they can better support, collaborate with, and leverage all the resources the FSCS program has to offer to assist their students in reaching their academic, health and social goals. Through the program, the principal will learn strategies to act as a liaison or partner with the families to assist them in navigating their child’s educational experience. As a new FSCS service for School 2 and JFK,
PPS has allocated funding to provide for a 10 session series with our new FSCS principals.
PR/Award # U215J180082 56 Page e75 III. Adequacy of Resources a. Adequacy of support (site coordinators)
PPS is fully committed to implementing a FSCS initiative, and the Superintendent has included converting to the FSCS model as part of this strategic plan. PPS has hired a Director of
FSCS to facilitate meetings between schools and community partners. PPS will provide full access to school facilities to program partners as well as security and custodial services. Each school has agreed to provide a designated space out of which partners will operate. The schools have agreed to provide access to the equipment, supplies and curricular materials, support of their parent liaisons and secretarial staff, and teacher cooperation. Principals have agree to participate in weekly Leadership Team meetings and monthly school-based FSCS meetings.
Each partner in this grant is committed to extending its services into the target schools.
They have agreed to provide staff, training, equipment and supplies to support the FSCS initiative, attend advisory committee meetings and cooperate with the evaluation.
b. Commitment of each partner (MOUs)
Each Program Partner fully supports our FSCS initiative. Please see the attached MOUs for details of their commitment.
c. Reasonableness of costs
Given the goals and objectives of our program and the needs of the Patersonians, we believe our costs are extremely reasonable. In year 1, we will serve all 2,602 students from John
F. Kennedy High School and Public School #2, plus 20% (520) of family members and 100
PR/Award # U215J180082 57 Page e76 community residents at a cost of $499,668 or per person cost of $155.08, with 32% of the grant costs allocated to establish the health clinics and provide treatment.
Over the life of the project, Paterson FSCS will serve a minimum of 4000 unduplicated people. Total costs will be $2,498,340, or an estimated $624.59 a person, including the costs associated with the establishment of the health clinic and provided treatments.
d. Sustainability
Paterson has acknowledged that sustainable practices are the most reliable strategy to maintain services after the grant funding period has concluded. Paterson’s sustainability plan consists of three components: collaboration, advocating for support, and securing supplemental funds. Partnerships and collaborations help deepen relationships between educators and community agencies. Paterson will seek collaborations and partnerships with community-based organizations and local businesses in order to provide additional services and resources for our students. Paterson will advocate for support from our local school board, business office and from the department that manages federal Title funds. When advocating for funding and partnerships, it is important to tell the story of your program and share the impact of the services that you wish to fund. With the new ESSA regulations, Title IV funding is available to school districts to support the holistic education of our students and to provide for additional opportunities outside of the regular school day. The purpose of Title IV is to improve the students’ academic achievement by providing all students with access to a well-rounded education. These programs can address the arts, social and emotional promotion, college and career guidance and counseling programs. Title IV can also support programs that utilize culture, arts and STEM to encourage student engagement, problem-solving and conflict
PR/Award # U215J180082 58 Page e77 resolution. In addition to advocating for funding, Paterson will continue to see supplemental funding opportunities. We are currently working in partnership with the Taub Foundation and the Paterson Alliance to provide additional services for student and parent advocates to increase parental involvement and decrease student absenteeism.
Paterson has recognized the critical support and pipeline services that our FSCS sites provide and made it a fiscal priority to maintain our first three community schools from the 2010 grant, beyond the grant funding period. This has been accomplished by continuing to foster our partnerships with the community-based organizations that facilitate our Full Service Community
School initiatives, along with a combination of other grant and local funding. Through collaboration, advocating for support and securing supplemental funding, Paterson has accomplished sustainability of Full Service Community Schools and will continue to replicate strategic actions to move towards sustainability for our 2015 grant-funded schools and our proposed 2018 Full Service Community Schools.
PR/Award # U215J180082 59 Page e78 IV. Quality of Management Plan a. Comprehensive plan
New Jersey Community Development Corporation will serve as the lead agency at John
F. Kennedy High School and Oasis will serve as the lead agency partner at School 2 for the duration of the full five-year grant and beyond and will provide site management services. As lead agencies, these organizations will: hire, train, and supervise a full-time Full Service
Community School Site Coordinator in each school; work closely with each school’s principal: manage the relationships with partners and other community organizations; develop a schedule of activities agreed to by all partners and meet the needs of students, families and community; and manage data. To continue the development and implementation of the FSCS Initiative, a PPS
Full Service Community Schools Steering Committee, approved by the Paterson Public Schools
Board of Education, has officially taken-over the role of Advisory Committee. To oversee the initial implementation of the two FSCS conversions addressed in this proposal, PPS and its partners have created an FSCS Steering Committee. The FSCS Steering Committee consists of representatives from the Paterson Board of Education: including (1 School Board Member, 1
Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services, 1 Director of Family and Community
Engagement, 1 Director of Full Service Community Schools), the Mayor’s Office of the City of
Paterson, the Paterson Department of Human Services, and one from each of the following sectors from the community: higher education, social services, business/commerce, health/wellness, and two parent/custodians of school-age student. ActKnowledge, PPS’ evaluator, also participates in the FSCS Steering Committee meetings. The FSCS Steering
Committee will meet regularly to provide oversight, receive updates from the Paterson Public
PR/Award # U215J180082 60 Page e79 School Director of Full Service Community Schools and provide advice, review data, assess progress, provide feedback and adapt program implementation as necessary.
Responsibilities of the Steering Committee include:
Recommend sites for approval to transform into a Full Service Community School
Participate in the approval process equally with Paterson Public Schools Board of
Education, PPS Site Principals and Lead Agency Applicants for the establishment of the
Lead Agency at each of the Full -Service Community School sites
Provide technical assistance to the FSCS sites and representatives
Participate in the evaluation process involving the third-party evaluator
Conduct regular self-evaluative measures and apply outcomes in real time
Create a calendar of meetings
Assist the scaling-up of the initiative by utilizing research-based best practices and
lessons learned from the field
Participate in the Theory of Change workshops, thus assisting in the establishment and
revisions of the outcomes-based pathways utilized to accomplish the initiative’s goal(s).
The PPS Department of Full Service Community Schools will provide the PPS Board of
Education with a status report on the committee that includes, but may not be limited to an evaluation rubric, data, implementation information, development plans, and the development of new community schools on a quarterly basis.
A leadership team will oversee the FSCS program at each school site. Members of this team may include the school principal and assistant principal, instructional coach, student services representative, nurse, guidance counselor, chief custodian, and Site Coordinator.
Additionally, an Advisory Committee composed of the principal, site coordinator, partner
PR/Award # U215J180082 61 Page e80 representatives, at least two family members and community members will meet monthly and provide suggestions and feedback for the leadership team.
Key responsibility for the program implementation at each target school will lie with the
FSCS Coordinator. Each Coordinator will be an employee of and report to the lead agency at that school. However, the Coordinator will also have a reporting relationship to the school principal.
Each principal will host monthly meetings with its lead agency, and the PPS Director, and weekly meetings with his or her Coordinator.
Program partners have been selected based on the needs of each school. Each partner will commit designated staff to this initiative. Such staff will report to the Coordinator at their school and will follow all program rules and regulations. Partner staff will participate in biweekly site staff meetings.
b. Key personnel
Each lead agency will hire a full time FSCS Coordinator to manage the FSCS initiative at its site Each coordinator will have at least a Bachelor’s Degree in related field of study with at least 3 years experience working with children and/or adults in a nonprofit social service or community development organizations, with a Master’s Degree and comparable experience preferred. Responsibilities will include managing the relationship with PPS; working closely with school staff; serving on the leadership team; coordinating the integration of services including referrals for families and children; outreach to parents; collaboration with the evaluator; outreach to legislators; leveraging existing resources and developing new resources; media relations; recruiting new partners; developing activities that meet local needs; developing strategies to recruit students and families; managing culminating events and helping develop a
PR/Award # U215J180082 62 Page e81 sustainability plan. The coordinator will also prepare quarterly reports addressing all components of the FSCS program at his or her site, and present them at quarterly meetings of the Advisory
Committee.
The responsibilities of the PPS Executive Director include building partnerships with community-based organizations, parents and families; working with school-based staff to connect academic, social, and health supports to the school and its community; and act as a liaison between the PPS and the CBO’s to jointly improve the educational outcomes for all of our children. The responsibilities of the PPS Director include managing partnerships with community-based organizations, government agencies, and PPS central administration offices; working with school-based administrators to connect academic, social, and health supports to the school and its community.
c. Time commitments of key personnel
The Paterson Public School Full-Service Community Director will commit 100% of their time to the FSCS initiative. Each Community School Coordinator will also spend 100% of their time working on the FSCS initiative at their school. Each school principal has committed to weekly meetings with their Community FSCS Coordinator and monthly meetings with the
Paterson Public School FSCS Director, and has stated that they will provide more time to this initiative if it is necessary.
d. Capacity to coordinate and provide pipeline services
Paterson Public Schools (PPS) will continue to provide oversight of the entire FSCS program that is being established in Paterson, with a focus on John F. Kennedy High School and
PR/Award # U215J180082 63 Page e82 Paterson Public School #2. Paterson currently coordinates and provides pipeline services to five
Full Service Community Schools, utilizing a blended stream of grant and local funding. Three of our current community schools were grant funded and are now sustained by local funding, demonstrating Paterson’s commitment and capacity to maintain programing past the grant funding period and continue to provide the much needed services to our students and families.
Paterson’s FSCS Department is part of a larger Division of Family and Community
Engagement. This partnership between the two departments has led to increased collaboration and coordination of programs and activities designed to meet the needs of our community. PPS has hired a full-time FSCS Director and a full time Executive Director of Family and
Community Engagement who both work with the Superintendent to provide support to schools as they continue the process of converting two new sites of FSCS. In addition, each school principal will support the conversion to his and her schools FSCS. They will develop relationships with FSCS partners, provide partner access to school buildings and services; work with partners to adapt programs to meet the needs of each school; provide academic enhancement activities and materials; assist partners in outreach to parents through Parent
Liaisons; provide data; and share staff training and technical assistance. Each school will maintain a leadership team, consisting of the principal, full-time FSCS Site Coordinator, instructional coach, school nurse, guidance counselor, student services representative, and chief custodian, which will meet weekly to assure coordination and address any challenges. An
Advisory Committee composed of the principal, FSCS Site Coordinator, partner representatives, at least two family members and community members will meet monthly.
PR/Award # U215J180082 64 Page e83 V. Quality of Project Evaluation a. Evaluation Plan
PPS is committed to a full-scale evaluation of its FSCS initiative to obtain critical information about our program sites so we can make sound decisions, learn from our actions, and improve the overall effectiveness of the FSCS model as it works in Paterson. We will collect data in a variety of ways from all stakeholders, and analyze the data to:
Identify program strengths and weaknesses and develop plans to build on strengths and
address weaknesses,
Verify whether our FSCS initiative is running as we planned, and if not, why not,
Determine whether we are implementing the right program activities to bring about
our desired outcomes,
Produce data we can use to promote services in the community, and
Guide any duplication efforts.
We have an established partnership with ActKnowledge as our external evaluator.
ActKnowledge: An Outcomes Based Approach
ActKnowledge will use a participatory mixed-methods approach in the evaluation that includes qualitative and quantitative data gathering and analysis. The approach to the evaluation is outcomes based, using a ‘Theory-Based’ approach, which means the evaluation will test results within the framework of the Theory of Change for each school. The Theory of Change postulates what it takes to reach goals, and then the evaluation tests whether the assumptions of that model were correct or not and whether the outcomes identified are being achieved.
Best practice in community school evaluation encompasses both the quality of implementation and how specific services and activities produce better results. A Theory-Based approach is the
PR/Award # U215J180082 65 Page e84 most rigorous framework for an evaluation that seeks to show not just what is working (or not), but also to explain why.
Therefore, some evaluation methods to be employed in the evaluation are aimed at understanding implementation and some at collecting data on results, such as academic test scores, attendance, youth behavior, parent and teacher attitudes and behavior and school culture.
As a participatory evaluation, there will also be a conscious effort to ensure that key stakeholders are involved in setting goals in the Theory of Change workshops facilitated by ActKnowledge.
Stakeholders will also help identify and collect data, collaborate with ActKnowledge in the logistics of site visits and collection of materials, and participate in feedback meetings with the evaluators.
Aligning Data Analysis to Program Goals and Grant Performance Measures
Building the Theory of Change for each a school will provide an important basis for aligning data analysis to program goals and performance measures as it helps articulate these goals more precisely and the indicators that describe whether these are goals are being achieved.
Data Analysis
ActKnowledge will analyze data relating to academic outcomes, but also data relating to key preconditions to student performance and attainment such as attendance and data on behavior. ActKnowledge will draw on raw data provided by Paterson Public School District that will include:
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) for each school, which will be compared with peer schools in the Paterson Public Schools District.
Results will be further analyzed by various sub-groups including for afterschool students,
PR/Award # U215J180082 66 Page e85 Limited English Proficient (LEP) students, Special Education (SE) students and any other cohorts that receive a particular intervention by the community school.
Analysis of attendance data from each school including a focus on chronic absenteeism rates, which will be compared to peer schools in the school district.
Data on behavior including indicators such as suspension rate data.
Surveys
The student survey questionnaire developed by ActKnowledge to elicit the views and perceptions of students in the community schools (identified through the initiative’s Theory of
Change and through the education research literature) will be distributed at the beginning and at the end of the school year and analyzed to measure changes in key variables. The youth survey is a validated and replicated instrument that ActKnowledge has used in Paterson and in other community schools. It is aligned to key FSCS goals in that it captures social and emotional data including youth attitudes and behaviors, and their perceptions of school, their future and their community.
ActKnowledge will also analyze Paterson Public Schools parent and staff surveys to assess progress on FSCS goals that are elaborated in the Theory of Change for each School.
These include improvements in measures of parent engagement with the schools and with their children’s education.
Reporting
ActKnowledge will submit a comprehensive annual report that will synthesize all data sources and make recommendations for moving the program forward and increasing sustainability. The report will be publication quality that will facilitate effective dissemination
PR/Award # U215J180082 67 Page e86 and communication of results. ActKnowledge will also provide analysis for the Federal Grant
Report (APR and AdHOC reports).
Workshops
ActKnowledge is a leader in the development of the Theory of Change approach (see theoryofchange.org) and in facilitating workshops and other approaches that maximize the participation of all stakeholders in developing an effective Theory.
Drawing on this experience, ActKnowledge will facilitate Theory of Change workshops with the schools to update their Theories of Change. Each session will involve the participation of key stakeholders in the community schools including principals, teachers and parents from each school; lead agencies, key personnel from Paterson Public School District and providers of health services.
ActKnowledge will also facilitate workshops with parents, students and staff if possible to draw out issues identified through surveys and other data gathered.
Participation at Site Coordinator Meetings
ActKnowledge will attend quarterly meetings of site coordinators (at a minimum).
Attending these meetings will keep the ActKnowledge evaluators up to date with schools events, issues arising, any intermediate successes and possible outcomes to track. The meetings are an opportunity for ActKnowledge to provide site coordinators with ongoing feedback on the progress of the evaluation and any challenges arising. Regular attendance at the meetings also builds a strong relationship between the evaluators and key program staff which facilitates communication on data collection.
PR/Award # U215J180082 68 Page e87 Site Visits
Two comprehensive site visits per year will be conducted by ActKnowledge using a set of interview protocols designed to elicit the views of stakeholders on how each community school is developing, including changes, achievements, challenges, and factors facilitating or hindering progress. This will involve: interviewing all community school directors and program staff; interviewing principals and/or assistant principals; focus group interviews with parents and/or parent coordinators; and focus group interviews with students.
b. Performance Measures
Goal 1: All students will attend each school day fully ready to learn.
Objective 1: Academic preparation: Through our FSCS program students at our target schools will receive increased hours of high-quality academic assistance, including tutoring, homework help and test preparation.
Activities: Afterschool & summer programs; STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art,
Mathematics) enrichment; tutoring & academic enrichment/support; homework assistance;
Student Advisory Program; positive behavior support initiatives to build capacity to support the social-behavioral needs of all students, including students with disabilities during the school day; positive role models; programs to address chronic absenteeism; Kindergarten preparation program.
Performance Measures:
30% of students at School 2, will participate in the afterschool program including ELA
& Math intervention and homework help, for at least 30 days, as measured by student
attendance. In each subsequent year the reported number of students will grow by 5%.
PR/Award # U215J180082 69 Page e88 20% of students at JFK, will participate in the afterschool program including ELA &
Math intervention and homework help, for at least 30 days, as measured by student
attendance. In each subsequent year the reported number of students will grow by 5%.
There will be a 5% increase in the number of students performing at or above grade
level on state exams, each year that the program is in session, as measured by an
analysis of test of scores at the end of each year. In each subsequent year the reported
number of students will grow by 5%.
By the end of Year 1, at least 25% of school day teachers will report increased student
engagement in school, as measured by a year-end survey. In each subsequent year the
reported number of engaged students will grow by 5%.
By the end of Year 1, at least 25% of school day teachers will report improved
completion of homework, as measured by a year-end survey. In each subsequent year
the reported number of students showing improved homework completion will grow by
5%.
By the end of Year 1, the number of students with Chronic Absenteeism will be
reduced by 5%, as measured by attendance reports. In each subsequent year the
reported number of students showing improved homework completion will grow by
5%.
50% of School 2 incoming Kindergarteners will participate in a Kindergarten
preparation program prior to the first days of school, as measured by attendance.
PR/Award # U215J180082 70 Page e89 Objective 2: College and career readiness: Through our FSCS program, students will be prepared for the college and/or career of their choosing.
Activities: dual enrollment; work study and internship programs; Summer Bridge to College;
Saturday Academy; recreation programs; student mentoring for college & career readiness; field experiences; tutoring; Saturday workshops on career and education pathways provided by
Felician University; financial aid support services; career services, resume development, and interview prep; lectures and workshops to promote educational attainment.
Performance Measures:
30% of students at School 2, will participate in the Academic Enrichment Program as
provided by the afterschool program for at least 30 days, as measured by student
attendance.
20% of students at JFK, will participate in the Academic Enrichment Program for at
least 30 days, as measured by student attendance.
30% of students at School 2, will participate in the Mentorship Program as provided by
the afterschool program for at least 30 days, as measured by student attendance.
20% of students at JFK, will participate in the Mentorship Program for at least 30 days,
as measured by student attendance.
30% of students at School 2, will participate in the Recreation Program as provided by
the afterschool program for at least 30 days, as measured by student attendance.
20% of students at JFK, will participate in the Recreation Program for at least 30 days,
as measured by student attendance.
There will be a 5% increase in the number of students enrolled in Dual enrollment
classes, as measured by class rosters at the end of each year. In each subsequent year,
PR/Award # U215J180082 71 Page e90 the reported number of enrolled students will grow by 5%.
20 students each year, will participate in the internship/work study programs offered
through NJCDC or Felicain University, as measured by internship logs. In each
subsequent year the reported number of participating students will grow by 5%.
20 students each year, will participate in the Saturday Academy, as measured by
attendance. In each subsequent year the reported number of participating students will
grow by 5%.
20 students each year, will participate in College and Career Readiness workshops and
assistance programs, as measured by attendance. In each subsequent year the reported
number of participating students will grow by 5%.
20 students each year, will participate in the Summer Bridge to College Program
offered by Felician University, as measured by student attendance. In each subsequent
year the reported number of participating students will grow by 5%.
Objective 3: Social and emotional development: Through our FSCS program, students will experience, manage and express a full range of emotions; develop close and satisfying relationships with others and exhibit responsible and forward-looking behaviors.
Activities: Afterschool program activities; youth and community programs; mentoring and youth development activities; positive behavior initiatives is to build capacity to support the social- behavioral needs of all students, including students with disabilities; young parent support services; anti-violence and gang-prevention programs; school-based health clinics at each site with licensed clinical social workers to address behavioral health with students, families, and the community; Restorative Justice training, coaching, and support.
PR/Award # U215J180082 72 Page e91 Performance Measures:
By the end of Year 1, at least 150 students will be enrolled in the SBHC and 50% will
shop improvements in classroom behavior and habits, as measured by enrollment,
attendance, and suspension data. In each subsequent year the reported number of
students showing improved homework completion will grow by 5%.
At the end of each year, at least 15% of the students will have participated in a
restorative justice program activity, as measured by student attendance at such
activities.
Objective 4: Health: Students will have their medical, dental and mental health needs met through an accessible on-site clinic.
Activities: Full-time Treatment Coordinator at school-based health clinic sites; access to pediatrician, dentist, optometrist, audiologist, and licensed clinical social workers at the school sites; community health fairs; parent workshops on relevant health concerns; family engagement nights; empowerment workshops for parents.
Performance Measures:
By the end of Year 1, at least 10% of students at JFK will be enrolled in the school
health clinic, as measured by enrollment records. By the end of Year 2, an
additional 5% of each school’s student body will be enrolled.
By the end of Year 1, at least 20% of students at School #2 will be enrolled in the
school health clinic, as measured by enrollment records. By the end of Year 2, an
additional 5% of each school’s student body will be enrolled.
Each year there will be a 10% decrease in the number of students suspended for
PR/Award # U215J180082 73 Page e92 behavior-related interactions, as measured by suspension reports.
Goal 2: Families will be actively involved in bettering their own lives and helping their children do the same
Objective 1: Parents will be more involved in their child’s academic performance and engaged with their school.
Activities: family workshops and programs for parental outreach; family engagement nights; empowerment workshops; family health services.
Performance Measures:
20% of family members will attend parent teacher conferences during the first year
of program operations, as measured by parent sign-in sheets; attendance will grow
by 5% each subsequent year.
Each year at least 20% of families will attend at least one parent workshop or
family night activity, as measured by workshop attendance.
Objective 2: Parents will utilize community-based services to manage & improve their lives.
Activities: School based clinic services; adult education classes; family advocacy; parent education and leadership development; workforce development, job search/job readiness services, emergency food services, housing resources and case management.
Performance Measures:
By the end of Year 1, at least 15% of school 2 families will have participated in the
school health clinic activities and/or have received treatment services, as measured by
enrollment records. By the end of Year 2, an additional 5% of the families will
PR/Award # U215J180082 74 Page e93 participate.
At least 10% of families at school 2 will participate in the Adult Education Program
offered by Partner agency, Oasis, as measured by completed computer agreements. By
the end of Year 2, an additional 5% of the families will participate.
By the end of year 1, at least 20% of families will have utilized a service offered
through one of the partner community organizations, as measured by parent sign-
ins/partner program records. By the end of Year 2, an additional 5% of families will
have utilized such as service, Utilization of services will grow by 5% each subsequent
year.
Goal 3: Targeted neighborhoods within Paterson will be stronger, safer and more supportive of the needs and goals of their residents.
Objective 1: Community members will utilize community-based services to manage & improve their lives.
Activities: community outreach and organization; parent education and leadership development; family advocacy; workforce development, job search/readiness, emergency food, and case management services; school health-based clinic services.
Performance Measures:
By the end of Year 1, at least 10% of community members have participated in a FSCS
school health clinic activity or have received treatment services, as measured by
enrollment forms completed. By the end of each subsequent year, an additional 5% of
community members will be enrolled.
By the end of year 1, at least 25 community members who have never before used
PR/Award # U215J180082 75 Page e94 partner services will do so, as measured by parent sign-ins/partner program records.
5% growth in new users will take place in each subsequent year.
Objective 2: Community members will advocate for themselves and their community.
Activities: empowerment workshops; community outreach and organization; parent education and leadership development; family advocacy; workforce development, job search/readiness, emergency food, and case management services; school health-based clinic services.
Performance Measures:
By the end of each year, at least 25 community members will have attended
information sessions, activities of workshops hosted by our program partners as part of
this FSCS grant, as measured by sign-in sheets. . By the end of each subsequent year,
an additional 5% of community members will be active volunteers.
By the end of each year, at least 5 community members at each school will serve on
each site’s Core Team, as measured by Core Team minutes.
GPRA – Unduplicated Target Goals
2018-2019
Students 520*
Family 250
Community 100
* Although the FSCS Program will serve all 2,600 students in some capacity, our target is 520 students for intensive programs such as extended learning opportunities, SBHC services, and
Felician University Partnership Programs.
PR/Award # U215J180082 76 Page e95 Evaluation Outputs and Outcomes
Outputs: Increased understanding and knowledge of FSCS, increased operational
capacity, time-sensitive response to technical capacity concerns, articles, conferences, &
workshops on best practices, and dedicated funding for PPS’ FSCS initiative.
Short-term Outcomes: School attendance, parent involvement, community support,
shared vision and ownership, change in local policy, and institutionalized partners,
Intermediate Outcomes: Increased social capitals, FSCS sustainability for 0-12
educational system, families receiving needed support, increased reading proficiency, and
scale-up the initiative.
Long-term Outcomes: Increased graduation rates from institutions of higher education,
all children prepared for their appropriate grade-level, and all students equipped for
success in school and in life.
PR/Award # U215J180082 77 Page e96